The band was formed by drummer David Husvik and guitarist Christer Espevoll, who had been playing together and wanted to start a band. Peter Espevoll became their vocalist. In 1994, bassist Eystein Holm joined the band just before their first gig. Emil Nikolaisen joined as a second guitarist in 1995.
In 1996, they recorded for Norwegian metal compilation, "Northern Lights". Later that year they recorded "Embraced", a short demo. Ole Børud, formerly known for his death/doom project Schaliach, soon replaced Nikolaisen, who wanted to give more attention to his other projects. Extol's debut album, "Burial", was released in 1997 on Endtime Productions and showcased a death metal sound. It was licenced to the US through Solid State Records and to Japan through Avalon Records. The next year, they released the EP, "Mesmerized", which featured three industrial remixes of songs from "Burial" by the bands Raison d'être and Sanctum. Eystein was replaced by Tor Magne Glidje on bass. "Undeceived" was released two years after "Burial", and featured a heavier and darker sound. Then Ole left the band, so Tor Glidje switched over to guitar, and John Robert Mjåland joined as bassist.
In 2001, another EP, "Paralysis", was recorded; to be released in Sweden only. This EP featured a cover of "Shadow of Death" by the reputed American avant-garde/thrash metal band Believer, whom the band considers to be a great influence. After "Paralysis", Tor Magne left the band to focus on his other project, Ganglion, and Ole returned to the line-up. After "Undeceived" was released, Extol was no longer obligated to Endtime, and they signed with Century Media in 2002.
"Synergy", released in 2003, saw the band evolve into a technical thrash unit. Lead singer Peter Espevoll has said that it was largely a tribute to the band Believer. The music on the album is very similar to Believer's style of thrash metal. Following the release, Extol toured Europe and US with the Swedish progressive death metal group Opeth.
In June 2004, Ole Børud and Christer Espevoll left Extol to "invest their time and energy elsewhere". Taking their place as permanent members in the band are the return of Tor Magne Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen, both from Ganglion, that merged with Extol when four out of five band members ended up playing in both bands.
In 2005, the band released what could be considered their most diverse album; "The Blueprint Dives".
A music video was shot for the song "Pearl." The album was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy, Spellemannprisen, for best Norwegian metal album in 2005. Also, "Blueprint" was voted for the Top 5 metal albums of the year list by the readers of one the biggest newspapers in Norway, Dagbladet. The album received rave reviews: For example, Eduardo Rivadavia of Allmusic gave the album 4.5/5 and wrote:
"To Extol's greatest credit, offhand comparisons to other bands are almost impossible!"
Afterward, Extol toured Europe with Mastodon, God Forbid, Opeth, and the US with Haste the Day, Becoming the Archetype, and The Showdown.
On August 9, 2007 the band announced through their MySpace page that they were currently on a hiatus.
In 2012, the production of the crowd funded film 'Extol - The Documentary' marked the return of the band. On a facebook post, the remaining members, Peter Espevoll and David Husvik, along with former member Ole Børud, announced that the band was back and that they were in the process of reccording the fifth album of the band.
Discography:
Studio albums:
* 1998: Burial (Endtime Productions)
* 2000: Undeceived (Endtime Productions, re-issued by Century Media in 2003)
* 2003: Synergy (Century Media)
* 2005: The Blueprint Dives (Century Media)
Miscellanious:
* 1997: Embraced (demo)
* 1999: Mesmerized (EP, Endtime Productions)
* 2001: Paralysis (EP, Endtime Productions)
Sideprojects:
The band members have all, at different times, had different projects. The current members of the band at various times were all members of post-thrash/rock group Ganglión. Ole Sveen, John Mjåland, and Tor Glidje comprise the avant-garde black-metal band Lengsel. David Husvik has played for The Crest and technical thrash group Absurd, and collaborated with former Spiral Architect members for Twisted Into Form.
Former member Ole Børud was a solo artist, Christer Espevoll has joined post-hardcore/metalcore band Benea Reach (former Selfmindead members); he also played on Absurd². Former guitarist Emil Nikolaisen currently plays guitar and lead vocals for indie rock band Serena Maneesh and was previously with Scandinavian indie band Royal.
The Prodigal Son
Extol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lost, fooled, confused
Crawling in the mud with pigs
Starved to death
Discouragement strangeling me
I have no breath
The father lets his son away
Challenging the world without fear
Unknown of the evil atmosphere
Imperfect man, imprudent mind
Disobedient to the call of God
Exhaustion becomes perdominant
Hell on earth is where I am
I'm longing back to a life in peace
With abundance of food
And plenty of water
I'll return to my father's house
And tell him I'm worthless as his son
Father please forgive me
For I have sinned against you
Regretting man, independent mind
Attraction to the call of God
With open arms the father
Welcomes his son back
He was dead and became alive
He was lost and has been found
Spiritual satisfaction
Inner peace
Comes from the Father
The song "The Prodigal Son" by Extol is a poignant exploration of a story from the Bible, which describes how a young man goes astray from his father's house in search of adventure and freedom, only to find himself lost and alone in a world that is cruel and unforgiving. The opening lines of the song, "Why did I leave? Lost, fooled, confused," capture the sense of regret and disillusionment that the prodigal son experiences as he realizes the error of his ways and longs to return to the safety and security of his family home.
The lyrics go on to describe the son's descent into a life of degradation and despair, as he finds himself living among pigs and starving to death. The imagery of "discouragement strangling me" and "exhaustion becoming predominant" reflects the deep sense of hopelessness and despair that he feels, as he struggles to survive in a world that has turned against him. However, despite his mistakes and failures, the son has a deep sense of spiritual longing, which draws him back to his father's house and prompts him to ask for forgiveness and restoration.
Line by Line Meaning
Why did I leave?
Questioning the reason for leaving his father's house
Lost, fooled, confused
Feeling disoriented and misled
Crawling in the mud with pigs
Living foolishly and without direction
Starved to death
Experience intense poverty and hunger
Discouragement strangeling me
Feeling overwhelmed and defeated
I have no breath
Feeling hopeless and depleted
Full of sorrow and despair
Feeling intense sadness and hopelessness
The father lets his son away
The father allows his son to leave home
Challenging the world without fear
Facing the world boldly but without direction
Unknown of the evil atmosphere
Unaware of the negative consequences of his actions
Imperfect man, imprudent mind
Flawed and reckless
Disobedient to the call of God
Choosing not to follow the path of righteousness
Exhaustion becomes perdominant
Feeling physically and emotionally drained
Hell on earth is where I am
Feeling like he is living in a terrible place
I'm longing back to a life in peace
Desiring to return to a state of calm
With abundance of food
Having plentiful food to eat
And plenty of water
Having access to clean, fresh water
I'll return to my father's house
Choosing to return home
And tell him I'm worthless as his son
Admitting his faults and failings to his father
Father please forgive me
Requesting forgiveness for his actions
For I have sinned against you
Acknowledging that his actions were wrong and sinful
Regretting man, independent mind
Feeling remorseful but also wanting to claim independence for himself
Attraction to the call of God
Feeling drawn to the path of righteousness
With open arms the father
The father welcomes his son back without judgement
Welcomes his son back
The father is happy to see his son return
He was dead and became alive
The son was lost but now has been found and given new life
He was lost and has been found
The son was missing but has now been reconnected with his family
Spiritual satisfaction
Finding fulfillment in the spiritual realm
Inner peace
Finding calm and contentment within oneself
Comes from the Father
Attributing this sense of satisfaction and peace to a higher power
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
A.E. Nock
Why did I leave?
Lost, fooled, confused
Crawling in the mud with pigs
Starved to death
Discouragement strangeling me
I have no breath
Full of sorrow and despair
The father lets his son away
Challenging the world without fear
Unkown of the evil atmosphere
Imperfect man, imprudent mind
Disobediant to the call of God
Exhaustion becomes predominant
Hell on earth is where I am
I'm longing back to a life in peace
With abundance of food
And plenty of water
I'll return to my fathers house
And tell him I'm worthless as his son
Father please forgive me
For I have sinned against you
Regretting man, independent mind
Attraction to the call of God
With open arms the father
Welcomes his son back
He was dead and became alive
He was lost and has been found
Spiritual satisfaction
Inner peace
Comes from the Father
Brian C Coy
The Prodigal Son
Why did I leave?
Lost, fooled, confused
Crawling in the mud with pigs
Starved to death
Discouragement strangeling me
I have no breath
Full of sorrow and despair
The father lets his son away
Challenging the world without fear
Unknown of the evil atmosphere
Imperfect man, imprudent mind
Disobediant to the call of God
Exhaustion becomes perdominant
Hell on earth is where I am
I'm longing back to a life in peace
With abundance of food
And plenty of water
I'll return to my father's house
And tell him I'm worthless as his son
Father please forgive me
For I have sinned against you
Regretting man, independant mind
Attraction to the call of God
With open arms the father
Welcomes his son back
He was dead and became alive
He was lost and has been found
Spiritual satisfaction
Inner peace
Comes from the Father
EmbraceEmptiness
Love or hate them because of what they believe but one cannot deny They are top notch musicians. Love these guys so much.
fooser77
The same can be said of JS Bach ..
How many know that?
Prophet87
One of the best songs from one of the best metal bands ever!
Muriah Angel Smith
I actually own this! Love EXTOL`!
Read Father Seraphim Rose
I used to own Undeceived and Mesmerized for a long time. I'd love to be able to find older Extol and other extreme Christian metal CDs for a decent price.
Seth Putnam
Around 1999-2000 a friend from the church I went to bought me this cd, as well as "Lengsel - Solace", I don't know anyone else who had either album.
MrGuitarSqueal
same here :) what an awesome album!
William Pantoja
As do I. Found it for 10$ on ebay
What a great and rare purchase.
perry hammond
been a fan of this band ever since my dad played this to me when I was 12... I have been following them ever since, I own every album. will always love extol !!!
Aaron Kuruppassery
Who would have thought that the story of the prodigal son would be made into a metal song........and that too, top class metal......only Extol